Clinical experience with traditional transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has shown that a number of patients have experienced significant complications as a result of the standard blind passage of the probe via the mouth into the esophagus. By “blind”, it is meant that the traditional TEE probe never had a way for the physician passing the probe to actually see where he or she was going as the probe was passed via the mouth into the throat and then into the esophagus. The delicate voice box and throat structures sit directly between the mouth and the esophagus. All other medical and surgical specialties passing instruments in this area do so under direct, real-time visualization. Since approximately 30% of patients undergoing TEE are completely anti-coagulated, the risk of significant injury to the vocal cords and throat when a patient's blood is thin is great. As the standard TEE probe is quite large in diameter—approximately 15 mm (as opposed to most GI and ENT endoscopes, which are around 3-8 mm)—passing such a large instrument without seeing precisely where it is going can, and often does, results in considerable untoward complications for the patient. These complications have included perforation of the hypopharynx and esophagus, tearing of the throat tissues, and vocal cord injury. The solution to this problem is to develop a TEE probe that provides the probe passer, i.e., the physician, with the ability to actually see what structures he or she is traversing on the way from the mouth to the esophagus.
A number of prior art references are known:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,833, which issued to Hakki et al. on May 12, 1998, discloses an esophageal probe with a rounded tip for ease of insertion;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,882, which issued to Heller on Feb. 4, 1986, discloses an endotracheal tube with a fiberoptic light conducting means;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,231, which issued to Shlain on Jan. 17, 1995, discloses a transesophageal probe with light conducting and suction means;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,819, which issued to Wollschlager et al. on Apr. 21, 1992, discloses a probe for use in transesophageal echocardiography;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,738, which issued to Green et al. on May 4, 1982, discloses an endoscope for use in esophageal probes utilizing optical means to aid the user by direct viewing of the area being intubated;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,009, which issued to Pourcelot et al. on Aug. 12, 1986, discloses an optical viewing endoscope having utility in the esophagus. An ultrasonic imaging means for internal organs is employed with the optical means;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,584, which issued to Matsuura on Sep. 24, 1991, discloses an endoscope with a reduced size distal tip to mitigate pain during insertion;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,456, which issued to Narciso on Jun. 8, 1993, discloses an intra-vascular optical imaging system;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,093, which issued to Swindle on May 25, 1993 discloses an intravascular optical imaging system; and
U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,563, Kubota on Mar. 16, 1982, discloses an endoscopic device having a distal end face formed into a smooth, spherical convexity.